Auto/Roadway emergencies, your attitude while armed

Saw a recent THR member's post and it sparked my curiosity.
What is your attitude when you see someone broken down, hitchhiking,
walking away from a broken car, etc?
This is assuming you have your piece on you, or in your car within reach but
out of sight.
OR maybe not...I'll do a poll with both.
I've seen only a few times I would feel ok picking someone up or stopping...
but it just seems like it's always dodgy for the most part.
What do yall do?

If I can stop and help, I do. Granted if something looks off, I'm not stoping. Others have helped me in the past when I needed it.

DoubleTapDrew

January 1, 2008, 04:26 AM

I try to ensure my attitude doesn't change when armed. I don't pick up hitchhikers. If someone has a car problem I may try to help them, especially if it's in an area where there isn't other help readily available.
My general rule is if i'd do something while packing that I wouldn't do when unarmed, I probably shouldn't do it period.

Commander Guineapig

January 1, 2008, 04:34 AM

I'm an idiot. You can only add a poll with in 20 min..I took too long ...My apologies.
answers work instead of poll votes. :)
GP

flynlr

January 1, 2008, 04:51 AM

I will help a lady out if she is alone or with kids. but thats about it.
armed or not.

Mojo-jo-jo

January 1, 2008, 04:59 AM

Nope, sorry. If I see somebody broken down in the "middle of nowhere," I'll call the cops. In town, they can walk two blocks or less to a phone, assuming they don't have a cell phone already.

I've never hitchhiked, and never picked up hitchhikers and I'm not starting either anytime soon.

I'm a "city slicker" in a large metropolitan city that has frequent murders, and am not taking any chances.

loop

January 1, 2008, 05:16 AM

An odd issue where I am - NW Arizona in Mojave Desert.
I work in Bullhead City and drive a 10-mile, 6 percent uphill grade to get home. During the summer it frequently tops 120 degrees. Cars and trucks are broken down every half mile from overheating. But, it's well patrolled. So no one is ever out there very long and I don't stop for folks -unless I see a woman changing a flat.
OTOH, I frequently drive a 50-mile stretch of dirt road that is very lightly traveled. Anyone I see broken down out there I stop and ask if I can help. During the summer they will die before they can walk to help.
I'm always armed, so whether I'd stop if unarmed is moot.

english kanigit

January 1, 2008, 05:31 AM

Loop, I just drove a 65,000lb Telebelt (http://www.putzmeister.com/products/telebelts/110/index.cfm) through those hills a few months ago. It was something of a surprise for a flatlander like me. Especially in the middle of the night! :eek:

Back on subject, if I have the opportunity and time to stop I normally do. If it looks to be an emergency then I stop, period. This is a hard and fast personal rule. My butt's been bailed out more times than I can recall.

However, all the above becomes null and void if that little voice starts whispering warnings in the back of my head.... :uhoh:

Ek

Dorryn

January 1, 2008, 09:35 AM

I have picked up hitchhikers in the past, long before I started carrying. Generally speaking my only rule was I would not pick a young male hitchhiker.

I have also been picked up while walking roads. I never actually hitchhiked intentionally, as in sticking out my thumb. I just had places to go and no car and every once in a while people would offer me a ride.

I would probably be willing to pick up a hitchhiker again especially as I am usually armed but I never see any anymore. Everyone is far too afraid of everybody else these days. Ive had an engine die before and people will stop and roll down a window no more than 1" to talk to you, and the only help they offer is they will call someone FOR you... Too much fear, nobody trusts anyone.

Eric F

January 1, 2008, 09:49 AM

I will stop for..........elderly people, women and children(if it I can) wrecks(as I am a Firefighter/emt by trade) But I absolutly refuse to stop for men you should know what to do for yourself. As far as my gun goes I move to to...on my person or my door pocket.

Ditto_95

January 1, 2008, 09:55 AM

I will always stop to help if possible. I may pick up a hitch hikerc if I saw his vehicle a ways back. Gas can in hand?
I will not pick up a female hitch hiker for obvious reasons.

I have hitched for years as a young man and always appreciated being picked up. Of course that was 30 plus years ago.

Since I have been driving I have been armed so it never would happen that I would help some one if I wasn't armed.

Tim Burke

January 1, 2008, 10:44 AM

I don't behave any differently while armed. The last time I picked up anybody it was two guys with a gas can walking away from a school bus marked with the name of some church in the middle of the summer on the side of the interstate. They weren't actually hitchhiking. The bus was full of kids. I drove them back, too. That was 1984.

doc2rn

January 1, 2008, 10:56 AM

I have one rule, what would Jesus do? If I think I need to help I do. I can see no worse fate than standing tall before the man and answering why I failed to exalt compassion. That said I usually move it to the door pocket.

Mr White

January 1, 2008, 11:36 AM

When I was younger, I stood with my thumb in the wind too many times to forget what it feels like. I pick up hitchhikers if they don't look psycho. My pistol is kept very handy in case my assessment of the person was wrong.

I stop and offer help to broken down vehicles regularly. I'm usually armed when I get out of my car. If its a car load of nuns I might make an exception. (But that's only because I went to 12 years of Catholic school and worry that I might recognize one of them and be tempted to shoot her!)

TimM

January 1, 2008, 11:58 AM

The only time that I ever considered picking up a hitch hiker was several years back at about 1 AM in the pouring rain on a bridge. The hitcher was a very slightly built female that appeared to be 30ish. As she stepped out to signal me I slowed to an almost stop but something didn't feel right so I sped up and kept going. As I sped away, I saw her turn around and throw her hands up in the air and at then two men stepped out from behind pylons on each side of the bridge.

Who knows what would have happened. That was long before I carried a CCW and since that night I have always trusted my instincts.

So NO, I don't pick up hitch hikers or stop to help people that I don't know.

Pax Jordana

January 1, 2008, 04:54 PM

Cops don't get where you need 'em in time to save your life, as a general thing. But they will be by in time to help you with your car, at least 'round these parts.

I don't really know what my rules are, I guess I just go with my gut. The only stranger I've ever given a ride to was an elderly man, walking with gas can in hand, after pushing his car off the shoulder and into a parking lot.

Maybe it's like, lots of people don't carry guns. And lots of people won't stop to help a stranger. I already pack, so.. in for a dime, in for a dollar, right?

Zach S

January 1, 2008, 07:20 PM

I have stopped several times, and normally do as long as I'm alone and not in a hurry. Always have. I genreally dont stop unless I see kids when I have the lady and/or the baby with me though.

When the optispark distributor died on my Caprice, I was 20 minutes from home. A 20 minute drive is a heck of a walk. I could still see my car when a couple in thier late 40s picked me up, and I look like a hell's angel. A while later, the same car, the battery cables shorted, melted the terminals off of the battery, I got a ride back to the range, where I borrowed a vehicle to get to the hotrod, steal the battery, and get back to my Caprice. Someone let me use their callphone when the fuel pump went out on my dakota, they offered me a ride, but Mom didnt live too far away. When a bearing went out on my alternator, so I took it off and started walking to the parts store. I didnt walk far, got a ride to and from, and he stayed until my car was running.

I offered payment to all of these people. They all refused. The only time payment was made was when I borrowed a truck from someone at the range, he wasnt there to stop me from putting gas in it.

I once stopped and picked up a guy who was walking towards traffic on the shoulder. All the alarms were going off in my head based on his looks, but I stopped anyway because so many people have for me (despite my simular looks). Turns out, two miles up the road, his wife and two children were in a Pontiac Parisinne(sp?) that had a flat spare. They had a flat the week before as well, which is why a flat spare was such a big deal. So I traded spares with him. Watched him change them, he refused to let me do it. He didn't refuse the cordless impact gun I offered though. As I was tossing my new flat spare in my trunk, he offered me a $20, instead I got a handshake.

Grizzly Adams

January 1, 2008, 07:27 PM

I'm with Mr. White. With one exception: the carload of nuns. I keep my pistol handy at all times.

garymc

January 1, 2008, 07:41 PM

I've hitch hiked and picked up hitch hikers. When I was about 20 one old man picked me up and made an indecent proposal (I am a male.) It "turned out" I was only going to the next exit. He let me out, no problem. The other questionable situation came when I picked up a hiker who mentioned he just got out of prison for armed robbery. As we talked it turned out we went to school together. I took him where he was going, no problem. I don't do this so much anymore.

kd7nqb

January 1, 2008, 08:03 PM

I have stopped many times to help drivers some while armed some while not. HOWEVER, I do make sure to keep situational awareness at all times.

I am much more hesitant to stop if its a lonely road or something like that.

cassandrasdaddy

January 1, 2008, 08:07 PM

i stop unless i hear the lil voice funny how that works. when we first moved to town we ran across a truck in the ditch hallereed i'd be right back dropped off wife at house 1/4 mile away and came back helped et this guy out. m real thugish lookin uy. turns out he was a thu a very grateful surprised one. he even asked why a white guy like me stopped then stayed to help him. i told him he might be scary in fredericksburg but i just moved from ne dc. turns out he lived real close and we were friends and nobody ever bothered my stuff.
i've only stopped once with kids in the car and wouldnt armed or not most times